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Jason Kapono
|} Jason Alan Kapono (born Febuary 4,1981 in Long Beach, California) is a Small Forward who is a free agent. He was selected 31st in the 2003 NBA Draft by Cleveland Cavaliers. Early Life Jason was born in Long Beach, California, to Joe and Toni Kapono. Jason prepped at Southern California basketball powerhouse Artesia High School in Lakewood, where he was a McDonald's All-American and won several accolades and titles. After a successful high school career, he enjoyed an outstanding college career at UCLA, where he finished as the third all-time leading scorer with 2,095 points, was the first Bruin to earn First Team All-Pac-10 honors all four years, and was the only UCLA player to lead the school in scoring four straight years. He also graduated with a degree in history. Kapono was a second-round draft choice of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2003 NBA Draft. NBA Career Kapono started 3/41 games he played in his first NBA season, although he led the team in three-point field goal percent at 47.7%. After his rookie season with Cleveland, he was selected by the Charlotte Bobcats in the 2004 expansion draft, where he increased his scoring average from 3.5 to 8.5 points per game. He also made the first block in Bobcats history. Later, he was signed as a free agent by the Miami Heat where he was part of the 2005–06 NBA championship team. In the 2006–07 season, Kapono's points-per-game average and minutes played significantly increased, and he led the league in three-point percentage with .514, which is close to the all-time single-season three-point percentage record held by Steve Kerr (.524), and is the fourth best percentage in league season history. Kapono also won the Three-Point Shootout in the 2007 All-Star Weekend three-point shoot-out competition by defeating Dirk Nowitzki and Gilbert Arenas in the final round with a score of 24 points which tied Mark Price's record for most points in a final round of the three-point contest. Kapono repeated the feat in 2008, having led the league in three-point percentage going into the All-Star weekend. In the final round of the contest, he scored 25 points, tying the all-time single round record set in 1986 and also setting a new finals record. On December 14, 2007, he had a career-high 29 points and pulled down 8 rebounds. He also ended the 2007–08 season as the top three-point shooter in the league. He is the only player in NBA history to have the highest three-point percentage in two consecutive seasons. On June 9, 2009, Kapono was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers for Reggie Evans. The Sixers were victims of several starting lineup changes throughout the season. Kapono started the season with sparing minutes off the bench, but was later given the starting SF spot, near the end of the season. However, after losing his starting spot two games into the following season, Kapono was back to coming off the bench for sparing minutes. After the 2010-2011 NBA season came to an end, Kapono's contract with the 76ers expired and he became a free agent. On December 9, 2011, Kapono signed with the Los Angeles Lakers. On March 15, 2012, Kapono was traded along with Luke Walton and a 2012 first-round draft choice to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Ramon Sessions and Christian Eyenga. He was then waived by the Cavaliers on March 17. International Career On November 15, 2012, he signed with Panathinaikos Athens, of the Euroleague and Greek League. However, his arrival in Greece was delayed until December 11, as he remained in the United States, due to complications with his wife's pregnancy. He won the Greek Cup with Panathinaikos in 2013. In March, he decided to leave the team, due to limited playing opportunities. Personal When Jason went to the 76ers, he was planning to wear # 24, but it was retired from Bobby Jones. He wore # 72 because he multiplied his former number 24 by 3 because of his 3-point shooting ability, and got 72. He is currently the only player in NBA history to wear 72.2 Born to Joe and Joni Kapono, Jason Kapono is of Hawaiian and Portuguese descent. On August 28, 2004, Jason married Ashley Kapono (née Cline). They have had two children. He has a sister Jillian, his father-in-law Tony Cline played football at the University of Miami and in the NFL for the Oakland Raiders, while his brother-in-law Tony Cline Jr. played football at Stanford University and with the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers. References http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Kapono http://the700level.com/top-stories/why-in-the-world-is-jason-kapono-wearing-number-72/ Category:Born in 1981 Category:American basketball players Category:National Basketball Association players Category:Players who wear/wore number 24 Category:Players who wear/wore number 28 Category:Cleveland Cavaliers players Category:Charlotte Bobcats players Category:Miami Heat players Category:Players who won the NBA Championship Category:Toronto Raptors players Category:Players who wear/wore number 72 Category:Philadelphia 76ers players Category:Los Angeles Lakers players Category:Retired Category:2006 NBA Championship